Abstract
PURPOSES: This paper describes the expansion caused by the alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) in concrete pavement currently in service. It also discusses the effects of joints installed to release the stress induced by the AAR expansion. METHODS: The expansion effect on concrete pavement was verified by a visual inspection and long-term measurement of the joint width of a cut-section. The behaviors of 16 newly installed joints were monitored as part of the investigation and long-term monitoring was carried out for three years after cutting. RESULTS: The behavior of a bridge was affected when AAR occurred in the connected pavement. The newly installed joints shrank in the longitudinal direction of the bridge after cutting. The width of the joints decreased over the six months after cutting. A large portion of the joint width (8.5cm) was found to have closed nine months after cutting. It had ultimately shrunk by about 92 percent when the final measurement was taken. CONCLUSIONS : The expansion of the pavement due to AAR was quantitatively described by visual inspection and the long-term monitoring of the newly cut joints. However, the width of the new joints decreased over the six to nine months after cutting. Additional research should be conducted to determine a means of controlling the expansion due to AAR in the pavement.
